About the challenge

Read more at https://www.ohack.dev/hack/2024_winter - review all of the UN17 Problems here

Do you want to use your skills and creativity to make a positive difference in the world? Do you want to work with other passionate and talented high schoolers to solve real-world problems? Do you want to learn from mentors who are also helping to drive social change?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you should join this Opportunity Hack, a hackathon that challenges you to create innovative solutions for the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The SDGs are a set of ambitious and urgent goals that aim to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure peace and prosperity for all by 2030. They cover issues such as climate change, health, education, gender equality, and more.

By participating in Opportunity Hack, you will have the chance to:

• Apply your coding, design, and business skills to real-world challenges
• Collaborate with a diverse and motivated team of high schoolers from different backgrounds and experiences
• Receive guidance and feedback from mentors and leaders in their field
• Showcase your project to a panel of judges and compete for prizes and recognition
• Join a global community of hackers who are passionate about creating social impact

This Opportunity Hack is open to all high school students who are interested in using technology for good. No prior experience or knowledge of the SDGs is required. All you need is a laptop, an internet connection, and a desire to learn and create.

Are you ready to take on the challenge?

Get started

1. Register here on DevPost

2. Head over to ohack.dev to review the problems by clicking through to the United Nations.

3. Jump into Slack, where we communicate

4. Form a team - ask people to partner, mark yourself as a hacker for one of the UN17 problems.

5. Ideate and build something that can change the world

Pick one of these 17 goals and work to build a video pitch of how you think we should solve this with technology like AI, VR, software, hardware, anything! The main focus is finding innovative solutions for the problems the UN is trying to tackle through its SDGs.

Focus on making an minimum viable product (MVP) and finding a way to clearly present the solution. It can be any of the formats: app, website, game, or mockup with slides/Canva. Review the judging criteria and build something around that.

See this nonprofit page for more details, but here are the UN 17:

• Goal 1: No poverty

• Goal 2: Zero hunger

• Goal 3: Good health and well-being

• Goal 4: Quality education

• Goal 5: Gender equality

• Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation

• Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy

• Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth

• Goal 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure

• Goal 10: Reduced inequalities

• Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities

• Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production

• Goal 13: Climate action

• Goal 14: Life below water

• Goal 15: Life on land

• Goal 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions

• Goal 17: Partnerships for the goals

• Alignment with SDGs
  This criterion ensures that the project directly addresses one or more of the 17 SDGs outlined by the United Nations, emphasizing the hackathon's core focus on sustainable development.
• Impact and Scalability
  Assessing the potential impact of the project on addressing the chosen SDG(s) and its scalability to reach a larger audience or community ensures that the solutions developed have real-world relevance and the potential for meaningful change.
• Innovation and Creativity
  This criterion encourages participants to think outside the box and develop unique, original solutions that tackle the SDGs in novel ways, fostering creativity and innovation in problem-solving.
• Feasibility and Implementation
  Evaluating the practicality and feasibility of implementing the solution ensures that the projects developed during the hackathon have a realistic chance of being implemented in real-world scenarios, maximizing their potential for impact.
• Presentation and Communication
  Effective presentation and communication skills are essential for conveying the problem, solution, and potential impact of the project clearly and persuasively. It's crucial to showcase your work effectively to the judges and stakeholders.